Day 4979

I had a long list of things to get today and most of them weren't groceries. I needed bug spray, WD-40, dishwasher detergent, Swiffer dusters, and blue shop towels. There were food items too, but it seemed like I visited way too many stores this morning. When I returned home with the groceries Dawn didn't get excited at all. She didn't even get off the bed this morning.

They are still tearing up the streets in the neighborhood to put in new water mains. Inevitably when the city paves a street, some other department tears it up again within six months. I'm not sure why we need new water mains in the neighborhood, but it seems like a major undertaking. 

The weather hasn't gotten any better. When we took our early walk this morning the temperature was almost 90 degrees. This was before sunrise too. I keep looking every day to see if there is any rain in the forecast. Nothing so far. It's kind of ironic that after we got a brand new roof, we haven't really needed it. It's been hot and dry ever since the roof was installed.

I went to the gym after I finished my errands this morning. The place is usually fairly empty on weekends, but I didn't get to shoot baskets today because there were other people using the court. I did my three miles on the indoor track, lifted a few weights, and came home again. I was slow again today. I still have no idea why some days are better than others.

I treated the western side of the house for spiders when I returned from the gym. Hopefully this will keep the webs from returning. It's so hot outside that I've given up on mowing the grass or doing other yard work. The grass isn't growing a lot anyway. It's all starting to turn yellow. Leaves are starting to drop from the trees way earlier than they should as well. This heat is bad for plants and animals alike. I keep wondering what happened to the rabbits we used to see every morning. We haven't seen any bunnies in almost a month.

Dawn's lab results came back today and she appears to be in good health. Her blood work actually looks better than mine. Although Dawn was already an older dog when we adopted her, she seems to be quite healthy. If she has any problems they all appear to be mental. To be fair, Dawn has actually adapted quite well to her new life. She was born in a puppy mill and spent her first ten years as a breeding dog. Life with us is probably still pretty new to her.

I'm still having trouble getting excited about anything. It's probably the weather. I'm not even sure I want to go to the OSIRIS-REx event at Johnson Space Center now. I'm probably getting ahead of myself though. I haven't even been approved yet. Until then I'll keep following my regular routine. I'll go mall walking tomorrow morning and then we'll take Dawn on her Sunday outing. It will probably be too hot for a walk, but at least we'll get ice cream cones.

Ellis is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4937

I tried going to bed early last night, but didn't really get any more sleep. I woke up this morning thinking it was Sunday. Nope. Only Saturday. Our sunrise walk with Dawn was a little cooler this morning. There was a nice breeze too. You appreciate the little things during a heat wave.

We had a big weekend breakfast this morning and then I did my grocery shopping and ran my weekly errands. I went to the bank and then stopped at a tire store and got a valve stem cover for a rear tire that had been missing one. I filled the car with gas and then went to Sam's Club where I discovered that the app I use to avoid the checkout line no longer worked with my new phone. I tried to fix things in the store but couldn't remember my password. Luckily I could still check out the old fashioned way. Eventually I got the app working again when I returned home. It's a learning process. I'm sure this won't be the last problem I'll have getting the phone configured.

When I got the groceries put away I went to the gym. I find walking in the park more enjoyable, but nothing outdoors is very enjoyable in this heat. The gym was pretty empty this afternoon. I walked three miles on the indoor track and shot free throws on the basketball court again. I need to start doing something different, but when I finish these two things, I'm usually ready to go home. The best thing about this gym is that they keep the place extremely cold. You have to make a real effort to work up a sweat at this place.

This afternoon was slow. I just didn't feel like doing anything. I did some bookkeeping on the computer and then took a nap. Dawn still doesn't like me napping with her, but she'll have to get used to it. It's a hot summer and I have a feeling that there are going to be a lot of naps in the days ahead. I can't decide whether to hire someone to fix the damaged sheetrock in the ceiling, or attempt to do the job myself. I've repaired cracks in the ceiling before and it's not all that hard. It is messy though. The easiest thing to do is just keep thinking about it and do nothing. This is what I've been doing with the screen door that needs to be fixed and the plan seems to be working.

Dawn wouldn't eat her dinner tonight. This was weird. She is always eager to eat her dinner. I thought something might be wrong, but as soon as Janet returned home Dawn ran to the kitchen and gobbled everything up. She was just being moody. I keep telling Dawn that she's running out of time to bond with me. Janet is going on vacation later this month. Dawn will eventually get used to life without Janet in the house, but she's not a happy camper. She is definitely a one person dog.

I'm already starting to hear fireworks going off. Dawn isn't scared of fireworks, but I feel sorry for the dogs who are. It's going to be a long four days for these dogs. We used to walk down to the lake and watch the fireworks displays on July 4th. We don't even bother anymore. There are too many mosquitos and ants at night.

I guess I'll go mall walking again tomorrow. I have a choice now since my gym is open on Sunday again, but I've grown to enjoy mall walking. I wonder what I'll see this week.

Bentley is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4634

Today was a catch-up day. I unpacked, put things away, and charged devices. It was nice and cool when we took Dawn on her sunrise walk but it was extremely humid. It made a lot more sense to go to the gym than to deal with all this moisture in the air. Janet dropped Dawn off at the vet to get her teeth cleaned when she left the house this morning. I finished my breakfast and checked my messages before leaving the house myself. It was a busy day by my low standards. I stopped at the bank on my way to the gym and then stopped at REI to pick up some shoes I'd ordered on the way home.

The gym was practically empty. I wonder where everyone was today. My gym is one of the few places where the employees all still wear masks. Even the staff down at Kennedy Space Center have quit wearing masks and they are usually pretty strict. Members don't have to wear masks while they are working out though. I walked two miles on the indoor track, shot free-throws on the basketball court for a while and came home again. I'm still tired and wasn't feeling very energetic today. 

We picked up Dawn at the vet later this afternoon. She did well and her teeth look great now. Dog dentistry is expensive. I had my own teeth cleaned recently for a lot less than Dawn's procedure cost. In fairness, I didn't need to go under anesthesia to get my teeth cleaned though. We've always had our dog's teeth cleaned once a year. Healthy teeth can prevent a lot of other problems.

They've restarted the Artemis countdown clock. I still kind of wish I was down there, but it would have doubled the cost of my trip. There is a good chance that Saturday's launch attempt will get delayed again as well. This is when I envy the local guys who don't have to worry about travel considerations. I didn't realize it until very recently, but there are already 12 potential launch attempts on the books. The three that were widely publicized were just the ones that NASA wanted to try first. This could go on for a very long time. I'm still skeptical that Artemis will actually launch on Saturday. The SLS is a very complicated rocket. There have already been four pre-launch dress rehearsals and not a single one of them was able to be completed yet. Something always went wrong. It's easy to forget that there is a long history of launch scrubs and aborts during the Apollo and Space Shuttle era. This is a brand new rocket and it could take a while to get everything working properly.

It rained pretty hard this afternoon. I'm glad I finished my errands and that we had already picked up Dawn from the vet before the bad weather started. At least the pumps on the roof are still working. When the pumps are working properly, the chances of a roof leak are much lower. Nothing is leaking so far. Knock on wood. I'm really starting to hate climbing up on the roof to fix things.

Now that everything has been unpacked and put away, it seems like I never even went to Florida. I kind of hope the launch does get delayed again just to justify my decision to leave early. If Artemis does launch on Saturday I certainly hope it is successful. It is astounding to realize how much effort has already gone into this thing and it is not even off the ground yet.

They are building more of these rockets, so the chances are high that I'll eventually get to see at least one of them launch. Until then, I will continue my regular routine. It's Thursday, so I've taken this week's trash out to the curb and I'm waiting for the rain to stop.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4327

I ran a bunch of small errands today. I picked up the prescriptions my doctor called in when I had my physical exam a few days ago. My prescriptions always get renewed whenever I have an exam whether I need more pills or not. Now I've got too many pills again. I got a new aerator for a bathroom faucet at a plumbing supply store. I forgot to have the plumber replace this when he was out to the house a few weeks ago. It was surprisingly hard to find an aerator that fit because the faucet was European and had different threads than most faucets. I took my vaccination card back to the doctor's office so the nurse could add my booster shot information. Now I'm wondering what the new electronic card on my phone is good for if it can't be updated. Actually, it probably can be updated, but it will take most doctors forever to learn how. My doctor didn't even know there was an electronic card. Since the colonoscopy doctor was just across the hall from my regular doctor, I visited them too to ask if they'd filled the prep kit prescription yet. Nope. I hope they remember because their office isn't open this weekend. I wasted a lot of time doing not very much, but all these things needed to be taken care of.

It was still windy and cold today. It's time to start wearing long sleeved shirts again. There's a fine line for me between pleasantly cool and cold. It was getting pretty close to cold this morning. I have a coat for every season, so I was comfortable walking, but I still enjoy shirtsleeve weather the best. Dawn certainly seems to enjoy the cooler weather, although the wind sometimes scares her. She took a longer sunrise walk today on a very brisk early morning.

My arm doesn't hurt any more from the Covid shot. I don't feel as tired either. I guess this means that I have no excuse to keep postponing mowing the yard now. I keep wanting to wait a little longer so I only have to do this one more time this season. It's hard to predict when the grass will stop growing. Occasionally we'll get a warm spell in December and the grass will start growing again.  I should probably get a yard service like all my other neighbors, but we have a small yard and mowing is actually good exercise. I don't like mowing the grass at all, but I do like being self sufficient.

I ran all my errands today early in the afternoon, hoping that there would be less traffic. This plan didn't work at all. Traffic has gotten so bad in Dallas that it seems like rush hour all the time now. If doesn't matter when I leave the house. There are always a ton of cars on the road. There's always a lot of construction too, which makes things even worse. I definitely miss the empty roads of far West Texas. I won't be going back there any time soon though. I'd better get used to life in the city for a while.

I have this urge to buy more gadgets when I really should be saving my money to fix things around the house. I keep putting things off because I hate the idea of having strangers inside the house. Other than the plumber and my HVAC guy, I don't know anyone I trust anyway. When I used to own rent property I always had repair work done between tenants. It's a lot easier to work on a house when it is empty. When you are actually living in the place, even simple things like painting or replacing carpets can be problematic. Just removing all the books from the bookshelves in my office so someone could paint behind them would be a nightmare. Workmen are always going in and out and leaving doors open too. That just doesn't work when you have dogs. 

Tomorrow is grocery day again. Where does the time go? My list is a little longer this week, so I'm going to get started as early as I can. Anything to avoid the crowds.

Dakota is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 4027

They had Clorox wipes at the grocery store this morning. I guess that's a good sign. The clouds cleared and there were blue skies this afternoon. That was an even better sign. We're still waiting until later in the day to walk Dawn. What's the hurry. Neither of us have a lot to do these days.

I actually got quite a bit done today. I made a few more tweaks to my new website, wrote a letter to my sister, went to the bank, and finished all my grocery shopping before noon. By the time we got ready to walk Dawn, it had warmed up quite a bit and we were feeling optimistic. Dawn actually did well today. She walked three miles, which was much better than yesterday. When she refused to walk further, we just turned around and let her lead the way home. There is no sense to push her too hard. Dawn is not a young dog and there are probably dozens of good reasons why she doesn't want to walk as far as she used to. She's been to the vet recently and there don't seem to be any serious medical issues. Hopefully, we'll eventually figure out what is going on.

I finally installed the sensor that is supposed to monitor our electric wiring. I've been reluctant to do this because our house is old and I was afraid that the sensor would find a problem immediately. So far, so good. The sensor has been running most of the day and it says everything is normal. We'll see what happens the next time one of the pumps on the roof shorts out.

Yesterday the replacement dehumidifier that the manufacturer sent me was making a loud rattling noise. It sounded like something was coming loose internally. I was convinced that the manufacturer had sent me a factory second, but today the sound disappeared. The machine has been running quietly all day. Did the part that was rattling fall off, or are these dehumidifiers just noisy when you are breaking them in? Who knows? I think I'll call these guys on Monday. I have a lot of questions.

I'm already losing interest in my website revisions. There really isn't much sense in having a company website anymore, since I am more or less retired. I wouldn't turn down a job, but I'm not actively looking for work either. I'd probably be irritated if I got a big website development project. Creating a website that works flawlessly across a wide variety of different platforms has become quite complex. I've got the new website working fine on my desktop computer, but it doesn't look right on my iPad. This means that it probably won't look right on most phones either. What a pain. Once I get this mess figured out, I probably won't look at this site again for several years. As I said, you don't really need a business website when you don't have a business.

I haven't taken the Christmas tree down yet. I guess it's time, but I don't see any need to hurry. The tree is pretty and I am lazy. I imagine that I'll take the tree down sometime next week. I've noticed when we are out walking that most of the neighbors trees are gone already. The Christmas tree is only a diversion. I really need to focus on clearing out the storage warehouse and my office next year. I'm sure this is a year long project. There is so much to do.

Why did I have a pizza tonight? Janet and both I love pizza, but pizza doesn't love me. I can already tell that I am going to have a bad case of heartburn this evening. 

Dash is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3849

I had to run some errands today and when I came home I noticed that there were blood stains all over the sidewalk next to the driveway. What the hell was this? When I got out of the car, I noticed a large dead rabbit underneath the car. The rabbit wasn't there when I left a little earlier, so whatever killed it must have done so recently. To make matters worse, I'd run over the rabbit and squashed it while I was parking the car. Yuk. I cleaned up the mess and asked Janet if she'd seen or heard anything strange while I was gone. "Well, there was a really large cat running away when I checked the mail," she said. "Did it look anything like a Bobcat," I asked? Yep. It probably was a Bobcat. We've seen Bobcats in the park before. They've been spotted in a dense grove of trees behind our house frequently. This was the first time they'd killed anything in our yard though. Hey, it's 2020.

It was cool enough to take our regular long walk this morning. Every once in a while there would be a breeze and we'd feel OK and then the breeze would stop and it was instantly humid and felt ten degrees warmer. The forecast says that it is going to be even warmer in the days ahead. I'm not looking forward to this.

I vacuumed the house today, mostly because Janet was cleaning everything else. I've more or less given up on household chores, but can still be shamed into action. I kind of wish we still had our old vacuum. The Dyson cleans great but it is such a pain to clean. Once I empty the canister it is still so dusty that I have to take it outside and use a leaf blower to get rid of all the dust. Old fashioned vacuum cleaner bags were so much easier.

I've got a dental appointment tomorrow. I'm a little apprehensive about going since Dallas has become a virus hotspot in recent days, but I'll go ahead and keep the appointment. Janet has already gone to this same dentist recently and says they are incredibly careful. They've eliminated certain procedures and do a simplified cleaning now. It's pretty safe sitting in the chair, but I still wouldn't want to be a dental hygienist. Even with a mask, gloves, and face shield, some of the patients are still going to cough on you. It's a simple rule of dentistry that you can't be sitting in the dentist's chair with a mask covering your face. They took my temperature when I went to the dermatologist and I'm sure they will here as well. What does this prove though? If it is the asymptomatic person with no fever and no symptoms that everyone is worried about, how are you ever going to effectively screen your patients?

I'm sure everybody has seen the charts that show the United States has plateaued with a high rate of infections, while all the other countries have reduced their infection rates to zero. How can this be? It seems to me like everyone did a good job of isolating for at least two or three months. I don't think Italy or South Korea isolated for longer than this. The current spike couldn't have just come from Memorial Day weekend. Even all the big city protests don't explain why the virus is now surging in places as remote as Wyoming and Montana. All I can think of is that the United States is a very large country and individual states didn't seal their borders the way most of the European countries did. Maybe it just took a long time for the virus to slowly travel from the coast to the heartland. It's just weird when the wild conspiracy theories actually make more sense than what passes for science these days. The scientists don't have many answers yet and seem to change their minds every week. I'm glad I don't have to make the decision of school or no school in the Fall.  It could turn out bad either way.

I'm also glad I'm retired and have been able to enjoy a lot of good years when the world was a much different place. When I was a kid I always thought that 2020 would be kind of like the Jetsons. Nope. Not even close.

Trevor is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3722

I had a lot of little errands to run today. I finished everything on my list but don't feel that I accomplished much. Oh, well. I guess you've got to start somewhere. I went to the pharmacy to see if I could renew a prescription early so I don't run out of meds while I'm out at the observatory. I went to the bank and paid a few bills, but still can't decide how to pay bills while I'm gone. I went to the AT&T store to ask how to turn on WiFi calling on my phone. My phone supports this feature, but nobody seems to know how to enable it. When I ask at the Apple store, they say it is an AT&T problem. When I ask AT&T, they say the problem is with my phone.

I made an appointment to get a haircut, but I failed to take my tax materials to the accountant. Maybe tomorrow. I just hate dealing with taxes. I did make a rental car reservation. It would make more sense to take my own car, but I just don't want to deal with a broken Land Rover and no service or parts within 400 miles. To me, it's easier to rent a a reliable, easy to fix car and let the rental car company deal with any problems.

I was initially worried that I'd get everything ready to go and then the observatory would cancel the entire Spring open house because of the coronavirus. I doubt that's going to happen though. This place is very remote. There is no airline service to the area. You have to drive a long way to get there. Nobody in their right mind is going to make the journey if they are sick. On the downside, there are no hospitals in the area and very few doctors. I guess you've got to take your chances. I'm guessing that the top of Mount Locke is a lot safer place than downtown Dallas.

I'm learning that Dawn sometimes doesn't recognize me if I wear strange clothing into the house. Several times I've come inside wearing a thick wool hat and she started barking at me like I was a stranger. She didn't like it when I came home from the kennel wearing a shirt that smelled strongly of other dogs either. I don't want to scare her, so I guess it's important to always be clean and presentable.

Dawn is a smart dog. She already knows her way around the park. She leads the way now and follows our regular route. As we approach the house, she turns up the alley on her own and knows exactly where our gate is. I'm impressed. It really didn't take her long to get her bearings.

It's supposed to start raining again tonight and then continue raining throughout the day tomorrow. I hope that my roof repairs work. I'm going to be really discouraged if the roof continues to leak after all the work I've done this week. If the roof still leaks, it's basically game over. I'd rather wait until Summer to put on a new roof, but we can't have a leaking roof every time it rains. Fingers crossed. We'll see what happens tonight.

I didn't expect that Joe Biden would win big tonight. I didn't think that a Chinese super flu would crash the stock market and cause a worldwide panic either. Life is full of surprises.

Maggie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3599

I went out for breakfast this morning and almost immediately realized it was a mistake. What was I thinking? Breakfast Enchiladas filled with pulled pork, eggs, cheese, bacon and jalapeños were way too spicy for the way I was feeling. Hey, it was a new restaurant I needed to try. I think next week I'll just stay home and have my smoothie on Friday.

It wasn't quite as cold as yesterday, but I still needed a warm coat when I went out and ran my errands. I went to the bank, the post office, and the grocery store. I could do my banking using an app on my phone. Our mail carrier will pick up mail at the house. And I could even have groceries delivered. I keep going to these places though. Having necessary places to go adds structure to my day. This is probably why I take my five mile walk as well. There's nothing I really want to do, but I need to do something.

The roofer I saw yesterday got me a bid a lot quicker than I expected. The price was no surprise though. It was right in line with all the other bids. I have no idea why a flat roof costs so much more than a normal roof. I have no idea why prices have increased so much in the last fifteen years either. I've resigned myself to the fact that there are no bargains. I just want the job done properly so I won't have to worry about leaks again.

I thought I'd gradually start walking a little faster once I got used to the five mile distance. The opposite has happened. It's actually taking longer to complete the walk than it did in the beginning. I haven't slowed down that much, but I feel like I'm dragging. I guess I'm just not motivated to go any faster. I've convinced myself that the walk does me some good, but I've never been a competitive person. I definitely don't feel like competing with myself.

I encountered a large balloon arch while I was walking today. It wasn't here yesterday. Did someone have a midnight Halloween party in the park last night? Was this the finish line for an early morning 10K or marathon race? Maybe it was just a birthday party. Unfortunately, the balloons will blow away soon and an animal will probably get tangled up in the remains.

I wish I'd hear something from the observatory. It's hard to make plans when you have no idea what is going on. If I'm accepted for an extended stay on the mountain, I don't know whether I'll be excited or apprehensive. Probably it will be a bit of both. On cold days like today, I realize that it is probably even colder in the Davis Mountains. I think a lot about Fort Davis and McDonald Observatory these days but I have no idea whether I'd enjoy the experience of spending time there any more than living in Dallas. I guess to find the answer I need to go out there and see for myself.

I hope it warms up in the next few days. I'd like one more chance to find the roof leak before the next rain arrives later next week. I think it's too cold to even apply the silicon material now. It would have been so much easier if I'd been able to take care of this last summer.

Jeda is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3266

We went to a Christmas party this evening. It's exceedingly rare for me to go to any sort of party these days, especially a semi-formal one. This was the first time I'd worn a suit in well over a year. I'm always amazed that my old dress clothes still fit. I didn't know many people at this party, but Janet did. The food was delicious and I even had a glass of wine. Although I'm definitely not a party person anymore, I'll have to admit that I had a good time.

This was a very busy day. All the photo equipment we used during the Santa Paws events has been stored away. The heavy stuff is back at the storage warehouse and everything else is ready to gather dust in the office for another year. There were lots of other errands as well. I went to the bank, got groceries, picked up meds for Dash, and filled the car with gas. Not surprisingly, I thought it was Saturday for a while.

Dash got me up again last night. He seems to be sleeping longer this week. Getting up at 5 AM isn't nearly as bad as getting up at 3 AM. This morning, Dash managed to make it to the back door and pooped in the yard like a normal dog. There was no mess to clean up. I celebrated by going back to sleep for two more hours.

Getting enough sleep made a big difference today. Now, I consider anything over five hours a bonus. It would be nice if I was able to get a good night's sleep two nights in a row, but that hasn't happened in a while. We'll see what happens. So far today, Dash has been acting surprisingly normal.

I broke the Essix retainer I wear to bed yesterday, so it looks like I'll need to get my dentist to make me another one.  When I had an impacted wisdom tooth pulled several years ago, the dentist told me that I would need to wear the retainer to prevent the remaining upper wisdom tooth from growing downward. I was surprised at how long the thin plastic retainer lasted, but nothing lasts forever. I'm hoping that the dentist will tell me that I don't need the thing anymore, but that's not very likely. I'll probably be sitting in the chair getting impressions made sometime next week.

The weather has gotten cold again. The temperature bounces around so much now that I never know what to wear. Just looking out the window isn't enough anymore. Neither is remembering what the weather was like yesterday. If I dressed like I did yesterday I would have frozen today. Luckily, I have a coat for every occasion.

I don't have any plans for tomorrow. Truthfully, I don't have any plans for the rest of the year. I just hope Dash stays healthy, I stay warm, and nothing gives me heartburn.

Spot is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 3093

The dog days of Summer are here. It's hot. It's humid. It's hard to concentrate on anything. I drifted through the day, trying to focus on little things. I got some blueberries at the grocery store. I took some shoes to the shoe repair guy to see if they could be repaired. I looked for some more Shoe Goo so I could keep fixing Dash's protective boots, but the hardware store was out of stock. I did remember to set the DVR to record The Expanse this evening, but I probably won't watch it until tomorrow. Even though it was very hot, Dash still wanted his walks. Our morning walk was fine, but we waited until after sunset to venture outside again. We took it slow and Dash did fine. There was a light breeze and the 95 degree temperature didn't feel that bad.

I wrote another letter to my sister today, but I'm not expecting anything in return. The last time she wrote, she told me that her condition was getting worse and she didn't feel up to talking anymore. I was hoping that the clinical trial she was in would help, but it doesn't appear to be working. Cancer definitely sucks.

The more I talk to these auction people, the more it seems like the auction business might be an interesting line of work. There are all these energetic young people who have a wealth of knowledge about stuff. Some are experts in photography. Others are experts in rare book, coins, and even comic books. I learned today that people even collect manual typewriters. I know a lot about stuff too, but I've never put my knowledge to good use. The fun thing about collecting is sharing esoteric knowledge with like minded people. I always enjoyed it when watch aficionado friends could instantly recognize a weird watch, just from seeing it on my wrist. When I lost contact with the watch collectors, train buffs, and art mavens, my interest in stuff seemed to vanish overnight.

This would have been the perfect week to fix the roof. It's been hot and dry for quite a while now. Unfortunately, rain is on the way. The long range forecast says we might be looking at a full week of rain starting sometime next week. If only I could get the roofer and the landscaper to come out to the house tomorrow. If the dead grass was replaced now, the rain might help it grow. If the roof was fixed now, I wouldn't have to worry about a new water leak next week. This is all just a fantasy though. I obviously have very little influence on repair people. They come and go as they please.

Tonight was supposed to be a good night to see Mercury on the Western horizon. I noticed that there were clouds on the horizon when we took Dash on his sunset walk, so I didn't even bother to go down to the lake and look for the planet. I can't even see the horizon from the house. There are way too many trees. If I had a bucket list, living in a place with clear, dark night skies would definitely be on it. You can't even see the Milky Way in Dallas. I have seen Mercury though. Occasionally, I get lucky.

I just got new socks last week and I've already lost a pair. Why are socks so easy to lose in the wash? It's one of life's great mysteries.

Marcie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2981

The rain is relentless. I woke up several time last night thinking that I heard dripping water. I never sleep well when I'm worried about roof leaks. As it turned out, the dripping noises were all outside. So far, the house is still dry. I was hoping that Dash would go do his business when I was checking on things, but he had other ideas. I knew he needed to pee because he refused to go outside at bedtime. Dash is a stubborn dog though. He was determined to wait until it quit raining. When he finally gave up and decided he needed to go, Janet and I didn't wake up and he pooped in the house.

Today was almost an exact replica of yesterday. There were thunderstorms throughout the night, followed by a brief dry period around sunrise that allowed me to walk Dash. The rain resumed while I was fixing breakfast and continued for the rest of the day. While we were walking this morning, I noticed that the water level in the lake was really high. Most of the piers and boat docks were under water. If this weather continues the way the forecasters predict, we are going to have some serious flooding.

On days like this, the mail always arrives soggy. I almost wish that our mail carrier would just save the mail and deliver it on a dry day. Most of the mail is political flyers these days. I'll be glad when the March primaries are over. We get so many of these flyers that our kitchen trash basket fills up too fast. The candidates must be convinced that negative advertising works. A few of the ads are positive, but most of them just say that their opponent is a lying crook. Nobody has won me over so far.

I've noticed a small leak under the back porch. Since the porch is covered by the same roof that covers the rest of the house, this makes me nervous. Hopefully, this leak is localized and won't spread. There is no way to remove the standing water at this point. The rain is coming down much faster than my pump can remove it. I had a pump running on the carport all day long and it didn't begin to remove all the water. Mother Nature can make you feel powerless and ineffectual pretty quickly.

All this water is going to make it even harder for me to get the roofers to come back. There are plenty of people in Dallas with far worse problems than mine. I see their demolished houses every time I turn on the TV. I have a feeling that my maintenance won't be scheduled until Summer. The roofers are probably already looking at two months of emergency roof repairs before they can get to jobs like mine.

I had a few errands to run today and tried to wait for a break in the rain. I shouldn't have bothered. It was dry when I started the car, but another downpour started before I was out of the driveway. One benefit of a heavy rain is that your car doesn't get muddy. When I returned home today, my car looked like it had just been through a car wash.

If you wonder why I take so many pictures of Cormorants, it's because there isn't much else. The park can be pretty bleak in the Winter. I can always count on the Cormorants. Rain or shine, they always sit on the same rotting log. I wonder if they get bored?

Lizzy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2759

Janet and I both thought it was Saturday this morning. It was an easy mistake to make, since all the days are blurring together. Luckily, I did remember that it was Thursday yesterday and took the trash out. I didn't feel like going out for breakfast this morning. Somehow, the ritual of going to a restaurant for breakfast every Friday morning seems buried in a distant past. Maybe I'll look forward to doing this again sometime, but other things seem more important now.

My legs continue to improve. When I look at them together, it's easy to see that the left leg is still swollen, but it is so much better than it was a week ago. The pain has subsided to a dull ache and my wrist is slowly becoming more flexible. I don't even wear the splint all the time anymore. The one thing I'm still careful to do is elevate my legs every time I sleep or take a nap. I wish I'd done this the very first night after getting bitten. If I had elevated my legs and rested more in the beginning, maybe the swelling wouldn't have become so bad.

I was promised that my car would be finished today, but when I called to check, they hadn't even started working on it. I guess I wasn't surprised. Ever since the Land Rover and Jaguar dealerships merged, service has slowed down to a crawl. They just don't have enough mechanics anymore. When people complain that there aren't any jobs, I wonder if they've considered becoming an auto mechanic. Large dealerships always seems to be short on mechanics. Luckily, there was someone who could help me today. A warning light came on in the loaner car and I didn't want to get stuck without a car this weekend. Everything is fine now, but waiting at the dealership made my errands take a lot longer than expected .

Dash was much better behaved today. Maybe he's finally getting used to this amorphous new schedule that Janet and I have adopted. We don't plan ahead very well anymore. We just buy food one day at a time and one of us is always running to the store to pick up something for dinner. We are bored and tired at the same time and still spend a lot of time resting. No wonder Dash becomes frustrated at times.

When I was running errands today, I got caught in a brief thunderstorm. It's weird to have so much rain in the middle of July. I guess it's a good thing, especially since the landscaper is coming on Monday. Usually we put in new grass in March, so it is well established by mid-Summer. It will be nice to have grass again, but one way or another, I bet my water bill is going to go way up next month.

I'm just about finished taking my antibiotics. Hopefully there is no risk of infection anymore. The strong antibiotics have given me an upset stomach, so maybe my appetite will improve once I'm finished with these pills. Antibiotics have been known to cause dental problems and I've noticed that my teeth are more difficult to get clean this week. I'm tempted to blame a recurrence of hemorrhoid problems on the antibiotics too. I'll be glad when I don't have to sleep with my feet elevated anymore. I usually sleep on my side and it has taken a while to get used to sleeping on my back. The best thing about a return to health is that I won't be wasting time Googling medical problems anymore. I'm sure Google has me listed in its hypochondriac file by now.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2748

I can't get used to how long the days are. The sun is already high in the sky by the time I wake up and doesn't set until well after dinner. The sunrise and sunset walks I used to take with the dogs don't work out as well in the Summer. I still try to walk Dash as early as I can, but usually it's already too hot. I guess I'm ready for Fall even though Summer has barely begun.

I had a lot of errands to run today. Some were for me and others for Janet. I was surprised that the roads didn't seem that crowded for a holiday. I guess a lot of people have left town. It probably didn't take a long time to figure out that if you took Friday off and added the two day Fourth of July holiday the next week, you could have a nice five day holiday without taking any sick days.

We're definitely not going anywhere. Dash doesn't like to ride in the car and Janet is not very mobile until her doctors say it's OK to remove the drainage tubes. Luckily, the air conditioner is working good and there is plenty to watch on Netflix. I don't think I'd like to go to a lake or the beach on the Fourth of July anyway. It's way too crowed for me.

I"m still getting used to using Sierra on my computer. Like most upgrades I've made in recent years, the computer seems to run slower than it did before. New operating systems and old computers are not always a good match. I would have preferred to leave everything the way it was when I bought the computer in 2011, but that's not even an option anymore. Planned obsolescence is what keeps the tech industry so profitable.

I had to revisit the website I was in a panic about updating yesterday. It was so hard to update things without having access to Dreamweaver that I inevitably forgot some things. I went back and repaired my work today and was grateful that the new version of Dreamweaver I installed still worked. The only thing weird is that it doesn't save my login passwords anymore, forcing me to reenter them each time I upload something. I have a hard enough time remembering my own passwords. Remembering all my client's login information is almost impossible.

I guess sometime this week I'll go down to the county clerk's office and try to get my passport renewed. If I've got to stand in a line for a while, it's probably best that I do it while Janet is at home to look after Dash. I hate to leave Dash alone for a long time, since he has a history of seizures.

I've just about given up on going to see the eclipse. If I fly, there will be no rent cars available at my destination, and if I drive, the only way to avoid horrendous traffic jams would be to arrive two or three days ahead of time. I just don't have the time or money to spend a week on the road just to see a two minute event. The good news is that there will be another total eclipse that can be seen in Dallas in 2024. I certainly hope to live that long, but will I still be living in Dallas? We'll have to wait and see.

As usual, I don't have any plans for tomorrow. I need to try to contact the landscaper and find out why he hasn't put in our new grass yet. I'm getting tired of cleaning mud off Dash's paws every time he goes out to pee.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day